The French Times
Your inside scoop to whats really going on here in France
Brought to you by.... Allison Davis, Nicole Rewerts, Hannah Briggs & Doreen Chin
We were all dying to know: What caused the social waters to BOIL?? We've got the answers you've been craving
1st estate. Clergy
2nd estate. Nobles
3rd estate. Commoners (aka peasants and middle class)
There was a huge separation between the top two estates and the third estates.
Lets just say those commoners (third estate) will never ever be royals. Well so we thought. The third estate was almost 97% of the French population and they had to face ridiculously high taxes. How unfair! Most couldn't even afford to buy their food. People were unable to feed their families, while King Louis XVI, their highest leader, his wife, and the other nobles were eating like crazy and living in luxury. Scandalous? I know. It gets worse. His wife, Marie-Antoinette, would mock the Third Estate, and she's not even French... Like she doesn't even go here!! The worst part was that he spent a lot of the country's money on the American Revolution, AND MADE THE THIRD ESTATE PAY FOR IT!! Like what? However the American revolution inspired the lower class to take a stand.The tensions were so high.
See what I mean??? #SHOTSFIRED ^^^^
Whats the Enlightenment got to do with it?? And wasn't the Glorious Revolution like 4ever ago #POWERTOTHEPEOPLE !!!
They were INSPIRED by the ideas of the philosophes which caused them to take a stand to fight for the unalienable rights they deserved.
Voltaire focused on the Separation of Church and State.
John Locke who Rights of Life, Liberty, and Property.
- Montesquieu thought that a Limited Monarchy, along with a separation of power, would be best suited for France.
And how bought that Glorious Rev? Well it's goal was to limit the government with some good ol' checks and balances and tbh it worked!!! It was bloodshed-less and effective and it was everything the third estate dreamed of! The English Bill of Rights is what the French wanted. #jealous !! Gave them freedom of speech, religion and everything the French didn't have. This inspired them to take after the model of government that came out of the Glorious Revolution. #COPYCATS
Well what did they do about it you may say?? Keep reading. the story is just getting interesting
The king didn't like this AT ALL (( #h8er )) and in order for the third class to defend the National Assemble they Stormed the Prison of Bastille! Here is were all of the weapons were kept. But t get this, the rioters gained control of the prison! This is was sparked the revolution for sure. They were able to produce the "Declaration Rights of Man" which basically reflects the beliefs of the enlightenment. Then finally the king was killed!!! #WAYHO
Next a new man rose up to power, Robespierre. He is quite the monster, even worse than A from that pretty little liars show. He started what is known as the "Reign of Terror" which was a time where everyone was in fear of being executed through the act of decapitation. Advil won't fix a head ache like that. #OMG
We got in on the deets before any one else because they chill and let us follow their PT
Napoleon BonaparWHO???
NEWSFLASH he is a man named *Napoleon Bonaparte who rose to power and worked to restore the stability in post-revolutionary France. He was actually able to centralize the government; instituted reforms in such areas as banking and education and tried hard to improve relations between his regime and the pope because things got a little heated during the revolution.
One of his most significant accomplishments was the Napoleonic Code, which sparked the French legal system and will continues to form the foundation of French civil law forever.
He had started a series of wars to protect France from Europe and it’s allies. This would later be known as the Napoleonic Wars. The Napoleonic Wars (1799-1815) were a series of wars between France and shifting alliances between other European powers. However, The Third Coalition was formed by Austria, Russia, and Britain to try and stop Napoleon. #UGH Napoleon ultimately ended with defeat but he sure played on heck of a game and made lots of changes!!!
For a short time, this cause France to be one of the most influential power in Europe, as the conflicts created many changes all over Europe. The social, political, and legal impacts spread even further in Europe and Spanish America because it really weakened the authority and military power of Spain. This caused there to be many uprisings in these places and it ultimately lead to their very own independence.
Napoleon was able to send us a few selfies before the defeat at the Battle of Waterloo, and was exiled to the remote island of Saint Helena, where he died at 51...
wait isn't this a failed revolution???
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Just a little FYI....^^^
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Works cited
Blaufarb, Rafe. "French Revolution." World Book Student. World Book, 2015. Web. 20 Mar. 2015.
"Napoleon I." World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2015. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.
"Maximilien Robespierre." World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2015. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.
"French Revolution." World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2015. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.
"Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (1789)." World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2015. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.